Monthly Archives: April 2016

MORE CONTROVERSY! For all that some people talk about “God’s will”, you’d not expect Jesus to say “Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full”. We have to understand this in terms of common sense, of course, but we can also remember that God is indeed God, and He might know some things.

If the lack of something makes a void in your heart, wouldn’t God know that? And wouldn’t He want to do something about it?

CONTROVERSY ALERT! This Gospel reading seems to be one of the most important and also most ignored in the Bible! Jesus says “I have yet many things to say to you, but ye cannot bear them now.” Does that mean that he has more to say, and what he has to say won’t be found in the Bible we own?

If so, then where do we get this additional learning that Jesus has for us? He gives us a clue to that, too!

The Epistle reading for today is one of the most mis-interpreted and mis-used in the entire Bible. It speaks of the importance of obeying secular authorities, such as kings and governors. Or, does it? Does it mean, as some would interpret it, that unjust laws are to be obeyed? Does it mean that people in Nazi occupied territories should have obeyed Hitler? Does it mean that people in the segregated South should have simply obeyed segregationist laws? I would hope not!

It does speak of the importance of fitting in to our communities, and not being people whose obstinacy and obnoxiousness keeps us from being part of society. At the time of the writing, the Christians were trying to become part of the society of the time.

This Sunday’s Gospel reading is one of the most powerful, and it can be difficult to see where to focus a sermon. It includes the words of how he has “sheep which are not of this fold”, which is a good verse to inspire controversy!

But perhaps more significant is how he speaks of himself as the shepherd and others as the hireling. And please note that nowhere in the New Testament does Jesus appoint anyone else as shepherd. In fact, his command to Peter is “Feed my sheep”.

While there are some really wonderful hirelings, we need to beware of those who would claim to be shepherds.

The Gospel for this week is a follow-on to last Sunday’s Gospel. Then, people who came to Jesus’ tomb in the early morning found the tomb empty. Now, it is the evening of the same day, and the disciples are locked in a room, hiding from the people frenzied by the religious powers-that-were in those days. Locked door or no, Jesus is suddenly there with them.

He not only proves that it’s really him, he gives them their basic mission, one which we have to this day.